Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
Parsley and cilantro may be potential culprits of the cyclosporiasis outbreak in North Carolina, state health officials have found through interviews with patients.
Why it matters: Beyond washing produce and cooking foods, health officials still have limited guidance to share since no common source of contamination has been identified.
And even those methods aren't guaranteed to kill the parasite. Officials recommend people either cook fully or consider tossing their parsley and cilantro.
While there was a pattern of parsley and cilantro among some patients, others also did not report eating either food before getting sick. Officials suggest multiple sources of exposure could exist.
In Mecklenburg County, about 75% of patients are believed to have been infected while traveling, Spectrum News reports.
By the numbers: The cyclospora outbreak has reached 37 cases and four hospitalizations in Mecklenburg County this year, according to public health data shared with Axios Tuesday.
Zoom out: The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is reporting 718 cases and 24 hospitalizations statewide since May 1.
The bottom line: Although some cases of the diarrhea-inducing illness are reported each year, the outbreak will make 2026 the worst year on U.S. record for this infection.
